NEW YORK, NY/1/25/06 Geoffrey Kloske has been named Vice President and Publisher of Riverhead Books, it was announced today by Susan Petersen Kennedy, President of Penguin Group (USA). Mr. Kloske, who will report directly to Mrs. Kennedy, will begin his new position on Monday, February 13, 2006. Riverhead Books, which marked its 10th Anniversary last year, has come to represent a new generation of distinguished and award-winning writers. A prestigious industry brand, Riverhead delivered a record number of New York Times bestsellers in 2005.

Mr. Kloske will be responsible for guiding the overall business and publishing strategy of both the Riverhead hardcover and trade paperback imprints as well as acquiring and editing new nonfiction and fiction titles to add to Riverhead’s existing list of critically acclaimed and internationally known authors. He also plans to bring in an additional editor to join Riverhead’s outstanding editorial team. Mr. Kloske, who has edited some of the industry’s most respected and renowned authors, will use his talents to shape and expand the hardcover and paperback publishing programs.

In making the announcement, Mrs. Kennedy said, “An opportunity such as this rarely presents itself. Luck would have it that Geoffrey Kloske, whom I have long admired, will now join Penguin Group’s senior editorial team and take the helm of one of New York’s finest publishing programs. His wide-ranging editorial interests, his eye for recognizing unique genius and his passion for publishing quality literature is undeniable. Geoffrey’s publishing experience, wisdom and success set him apart from others in the business, and his list of authors is widely admired. I am so pleased to welcome him here.”

Mrs. Kennedy continued, “Geoffrey will work closely with the smart and successful Riverhead editorial team who have played a significant role in building the Riverhead brand and delivering the current impressive list of bestsellers. Sean McDonald, who was most recently promoted to Executive Editor, will also become a Vice President of the Group. Executive Editor Jake Morrissey and Editor Megan Lynch have been responsible for bringing in new talent and will continue to contribute to the Group’s rich and diverse list.”

Mr. Kloske said, “I am thrilled to join Susan Petersen Kennedy at Penguin Group and the talented team of Riverhead. I am very impressed that in little more than a decade Riverhead has established itself as an imprint of distinctive literary voices in both fiction and nonfiction. For the next chapter in its history, I hope to continue this successful, award-winning and bestselling tradition and expand upon it with one-of-a-kind voices, memorable stories, new perspectives and innovative publishing.”

Most recently, Mr. Kloske was Vice President, Executive Editor of the Adult Trade Group at Simon & Schuster, where he worked for the past eight years. He was in charge of running the company’s successful paperback line, “S&S Paperbacks.” At Simon & Schuster, he published many award-winning, New York Times bestselling authors including Dave Egger’s A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Susan Vowell’s Assassination Vacation and Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, Vol. 1, the latter a finalist for a 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award. In addition, he also worked with such authors as Thomas Berger, James Carville, Howard Dean, Donna Brazile, Bernard Cooper, Michael D’Antonio, Philip Van Munching and Ed McBain, many of them New York Times bestsellers.

Prior to his tenure at Simon & Schuster, he was at Little, Brown, during which time he bought and edited the first three books by award-winning and New York Times bestselling author David Sedaris. He also worked at St. Martin’s Press for one year.

Mr. Kloske has authored one children’s book, Once Upon A Time, The End, with illustrator Barry Blitt, which was published by Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books in October 2005. The title received a National Parenting Publications Award and was acknowledged with an award from Publishers Weekly.

NOTE TO THE PRESS:

Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), launched its first list in 1995. Last year, Riverhead delivered a record nine New York Times bestsellers, including two #1 New York Times bestsellers. In the first half of 2006, new Riverhead titles include: Ana Marie Cox’s Dog Days, which chronicles the romantic and political life of a young campaign staffer in Washington, D.C. during the lull between the Democratic and Republican Conventions (January); Generation Debt: Why Now Is the Worst Time to be Young by Anya Kamenetz, an emerging spokesperson for a new generation, passionately addressing the grim state of young people today (February); The Night Watch, from Booker Prize finalist Sarah Waters, a novel set in 1940s London, brims with vivid historical detail, thrilling coincidences and psychological complexity (March); Writing to Change the World by Mary Pipher, the bestselling author of Reviving Ophelia, Another Country and The Middle of Everywhere, offering an inspirational and instructional guide on how to write to effect change in the world (April); Come Together, Fall Apart by Cristina Henríquez, a collection of eight short stories and a novella from a groundbreaking new voice who was featured in The New Yorker (April); In Persuasion Nation by George Saunders, a new collection of short stories filled with wisdom and humor at a time when we need it most, by the writer Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times has hailed as “the illegitimate offspring of Nathanael West and Kurt Vonnegut.” (April); Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings, the first book by the groundbreaking and immensely popular actor/playwright/director/author Tyler Perry (April); The Girl of Lost Things, the first novel for adults by Ann Brashares, the million-copy, #1 bestselling author of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series (June).

Penguin Group (USA) Inc. is the U.S. member of the internationally renowned Penguin Group. Penguin Group (USA) is one of the leading U.S. adult and children’s trade book publishers, owning a wide range of imprints and trademarks, including Berkley Books, Dutton, Frederick Warne, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Grosset & Dunlap, New American Library, Penguin Books, The Penguin Press, Philomel, Plume, Puffin, Riverhead Books and Viking, among others. The Penguin Group (http://www.penguin.com) is part of Pearson plc, the international media company.